6 Horrible Carbs You Should Avoid

So moving on from the 6 ideal sources of carbs for you to enjoy is the 6 sources of carbs you should avoid if you want to get 6 pack abs.

Sugar

It is a naturally occurring substance that has been used as a preservative for centuries. So it should be good right? Except that centuries ago, sugar was not as abundant as today and most people must engage in calorie burning manual labor to earn a living. Nowadays, you just need to look at the label of your instant coffee, sneakers or coke to find sugar as the main ingredient. Combined this with our sedentary lifestyle and you got yourself a recipe for health disaster. The key is moderation and if you need to satisfy your sweet tooth, to have it before a gym session where it will be used for fuel.

Artificial Sweeteners

Aspartame, acesulfame potassium ( or simply written as acesulfame K), sucralose, saccharin…. you see them on the ingredient list of many products labeled as “healthy” on the market, including most protein supplements. Although these products are not chemically classified as carbs, but they are widely used as sugar (carb) substitute, hence earned their spot here. For sure they contain no calories hence on the surface it seems to help those that wants to loose weight. But multiple independent studies have linked it to anything from obesity, type 2 diabetes, to kidney damage. Hence if you really crave for sweets, stick to the natural ones and do it as part of your pre-workout.

White Wheat Flour

You see them everywhere. From biscuits, bread to noodles. Other than sugar, you can say that its the building block of modern society as we know it. And just like sugar, things would have been fine several centuries ago when white wheat flour was a luxury and most bread were made with whole wheat flour (i.e. contains more fiber and minerals). The modern version we consume these days are simply too refined and will lead to spike in blood sugar upon consumption. Hence this is one type of carb consumption you should reduce. Not only that, some people have varying level of intolerance towards gluten that is abundant in wheat. Hence if you feel bloated after eating cakes and noodles, it might be best to avoid this type of carb.

Beer

Sad to say, my favorite beverage is not something you should be drinking if you are aiming for a 6-pack abs. Hence I only indulge myself whenever I travel. Problem no. 1 with beer is that it is very high in carbohydrates (and lets face it, “light” beers don’t taste as good as full bodied beers). Another problem is that the alcohol in the beer suppresses lipid oxidation, hence the typical beer belly you see among regular alcohol consumers.

Flavored Instant Oats

Yes, oats are high in fiber so it should be good for you. The problem is the convenient flavored single servings you typically see in supermarket aisle is jam packed with sugar. Thick rolled oats are filled with complex carbs that are slow to digest. Instant oats however, already had those carbs cut down to make it absorb water at much faster rate, they ended up getting digested much quicker by the body too. So if you want to get all the health benefits of oats, stick with the thick rolled ones.

Fructose

Oh dear, so classic coke is bad for you. Diet coke and coke zero is bad for you. Better to just stick with the good ole fruit juice right? Wrong. Fruits are high in fructose, and if you enjoy it the natural way, you would be consuming plenty of fiber along the way. These fibers slows down your metabolism, making sure that there would not be a sudden spike of fructose in your blood. When you just drink the juice, you skip all the fibers, significantly increasing the fructose absorption in your body, and over time, this has been proven to cause insulin resistance. So the good old fruit juice is not innocent either.

Bottom line: The modern consumer must be extra careful with what is being consumed. The supermarket aisle is filled with promises of healthy and convenient food. But most of those products contain more lies than anything else. Hence you must educate yourself and make sure you know what you buy.